Everything else is coming along as planned. Yuney has had his at bats and seems to be on track for Opening Day. Werth has just started to take BP. The recovery taking longer than he wants, but that's because he wants to be ready for Opening Day. He's still on track even if that means a week or so past Opening Day. Storen, who no one cares about, got his stitches out so we really should see him pitch in a day or two. I've been bothered that he hasn't but I can't figure how this particular injury would hold him back. So I expect him ready for Opening Day. Denard Span is still dead.
But Anthony Rendon, Rendon the key to this year and the future, he's not coming along as planned. They tell you they aren't worried in the long term because they can't find anything severe about the injury. Two MRIs haven't shown a tear (we've been told). It's just a bruise. He'll be fine. Someday.
Here's the short of it though. Rendon is injured, it's not getting better like they think it should, and they don't know why. That's worrisome.
It could work out. It probably will work out. But don't tell me you aren't worried about an injury that isn't healing and you don't have a reason why. Even if it turns out to be "guess he's a slow healer" THAT matters too.
Anyway - still division champs and all but worry all you want. You're concerns are valid.
Nick Johnson would've been an MVP-candidate type player and borderline HoFer without the injuries and slow healing. His one healthy year (until the collision) remains one of the best I've ever seen from someone in a Nats uniform. So yes, injuries matter quite a bit.
ReplyDeleteI feel for Rendon, too, because this sort of thing has happened before and it starts to feel like there's something wrong with you when you don't heal like the doctors expected. I had a meniscus tear that took me many months to recover from even after surgery and the docs had no answers for why I couldn't walk for so long when they thought I'd be able to immediately. It's a scary place to be.
No, this has nothing to do with analysis. I just can't help but think Rendon must be scared and frustrated, though he's been through worse injuries before.
Also of note is that the Nats got the SI cover jinx again.
The obvious problem is we don't have a replacement for him. So who votes we make a trade and who wants to stay in house.
ReplyDeleteIf we had just signed Headley we wouldn't worry about this mess.
Until I heard about the second MRI I didn't worry as I have always been a quick healer high pain tolerance guy and I usually assume others are the same way.
Harper how much do you want to bet someone in the media will want to move Zimm back to third?
The Storen thing can be explained by the removable hard cast that most people wear after the surgery he had. Sometimes people get a true cast, but usually it's just a removable one these days. But they still have to wear them for 10 or so days after the surgery. Can't wear a baseball glove over those.
ReplyDeleteNick Johnson.
ReplyDeleteAnon, if we had gotten a replacement 3B through free agency (Sandoval, Headley) or trade (I hear some guy named Donaldson was available...) then we'd still be wigging out now about replacing Rendon with Danny Espinosa at 2B. The overall team would be better since the hypothetical 3B + Espi would be a better player than a healed Yuney at 2B + backups at 3B.
ReplyDelete(That said, with Darvish's injury all but killing the Rangers' hopes of contending this year, now's the time to kick the tires on Beltre, right? Can't hurt to ask...)
I'm terrified, if you can't tell by my rants on the last few threads. Sorry for bringing down the classiness in this forum, I'll try to clean up my French
ReplyDeleteRegardless, we are still in a very weak NL East. It's hard to imagine the Nats not winning the division. I know, I know... 2013... but this is a better and deeper team than 2013.
ReplyDeleteYou all win the Bob Carpenter award in my book, that is to say you are all jinxes. Why did/do we have to discuss this thing that shall remain unnamed. Schmanthony Schmendon is not injured. I am not worried and besides that's a river in Africa of which you speak. He is not Nick Johnson, Nick Johnson never had this kind of ceiling. Besides the name Nick Johnson should never be so much as whispered in the same breath as an important Nationals player. NEVER. Nick Johnson and Matt Williams can be mentioned in the same sentence all to live long day. Nick Johnson and Tim Hudson, you bet, they're practically besties. Nick Johnson and Nate McClouth, go fer it. I heard Nick Johnson and Kevin Frandsen vacation together, you're still good, but none of the others. Words have meaning, it's what makes them words. I say good day to you all. Good day.
ReplyDeleteThe trouble for us with this Rendon injury is that it has eerie similarities to his ankle injury. By similarity, I mean they started off downplaying it and it turned into a long term thing. Who knows if they did that intentionally or misunderstood the severity. Its totally possible Rendon just doesn't heal quickly, but whether that is true or not, most of us will believe it, and we'll have some nagging concern in the back of our minds about him, always. And maybe this gets some to doubt the wisdom of extending him to beaucoup $$.
ReplyDeleteBut as for a trade, yes I think so but not for a big time replacement. I think it makes sense to convert one of these top 100 pitching prospects into a similarly ranked positon prospect that has a good hit tool and can passably play 3b,2b and the corner OFs. One of those 'not good enough to stick at 3B long term' guys. I have mentioned Refsnyder before (college OF trying to convert to 2b) but there has to be a number of these guys. That is how they see Frandsen, I think, but I think we can do better. Failing that, I think we just ride Danny until Rendon comes back. He will always provide good D and baserunning, so there is a floor to his production. I think he makes a high quality sub, unlike the many who want to demote him to the minors.
@Wally Agree, see what Danny can do. The more PA's he gets right handed the better. The Nats need to see if he can hit just enough to be valuable. If he can hit .240 with pop, he's a top 10 SS in baseball value wise. The glove is just that good and the competition at SS that weak.
ReplyDelete@ JWLumley - that would be a homerun, and make him an effective regular. I don't even have that high of ambitions: I just think as a bench player, he is a very good one: offers quality D at 3 positions, baserunning (ie pinchrunning) and pop in the right circumstance (ie as a RH against a LHP). That's without any improvement in other areas. That's a pretty good bench guy, and I don't really get the calls to get rid of him, or send him to the minors
ReplyDeleteWe probably would have had to give up more than Clippard to get Donaldson though, right? Plus, Rendon is truly a stellar 3B.
ReplyDeleteWho are we kidding? Frandsen is going to play unless he's bad enough to force Rizzo to make a move. Espinosa's spring hasn't elevated his status at all - he's good enough to be a backup middle infielder who can start against LHP. They're only just now getting him reps over at third, and that's probably just because they'll want to pinch hit for Frandsen more than Escobar now.
The closer the prospective ratio of Rendon games played to Jose Fernandez games pitched becomes, the more worried I get.
ReplyDelete@blovey I think you're looking at all other things being equal between the Fish and Nats. That's not the case. The Nats are a much stronger and deeper team. Harper alone could make up the offensive difference.
ReplyDeleteWhat do the tea leaves say about Danny getting so many starts at 3B? If they are perfectly comfortable carrying Frandsen on the bench as Rendon's back-up, why test Espinosa out over there? And if Espinosa can play third, what exactly is Frandsen providing extra? I'm wondering if the Nats aren't planning on just keeping one of Espinosa or Frandsen.
ReplyDeleteOn a completely different note, since Chaz R got me wondering... who has a better 2015, Harper or Stanton?
*your concerns
ReplyDeleteWell, this particular Anon thinks that, for now, there's nothing much to worry about. Sure, I would like to see more big, scary bats in the minor league system. But hey there are plenty of big arms, and management seems to know a thing or two about trading. (Last year's big minor league bat, Souza, is hitting .118 in 34 ABs for Tampa, while Taylor, the next-Span-in-line, is at .343 in 43 ABs. I know, I know, it's spring training.) We forget that 2013 was forgettable because the Nats couldn't beat the Braves. By the end of that season, arguably they were the hottest team in the league. Had they squeaked into the wild card, a la SF, well, things...
ReplyDeleteWhich is to say that if early season adversity means you need to scrap a little harder at the end, that might not be such a bad thing. Now, if Rendon needs ligament surgery, my goodness, then I'll worry.
And Zimmerman goes down. Supposedly precautionary. We've heard that before.
ReplyDeleteAt this point, I wouldn't be surprised if all 8 starting position players miss opening day.
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ReplyDeleteThat does it, Z11, I'm not letting my kids read the comment section. (In fact, I might start giving it a pass, too.)
ReplyDeletesorry... was drinking... and depressed over injury situations... harper, pls delete my comment.
ReplyDeleteI always want to open these types of posts with "Nobody loves Boz more than me", but of course that isn't close to true.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, that made me laugh. Boz is the white whale to your Captain Ahab. What are you going to do when you finally catch him?